The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,

12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

Detection of natural hydrocarbon seepages using SAR Technology and associated

Subsurface studies in Offshore Mahanadi Basin for delineation of possible areas of
Hydrocarbon exploration

H.D.Dave, S. Mazumder, J..K.Samal, K.K.S.Pangtey and D.S.Mitra

Remote Sensing & Geomatics
KDMIPE, Dehradun

Introduction
Hydrocarbon seepages in oceans are direct indicators of the existence of a petroleum
system in deep water basins and detection of such seepages helps in lowering the cost and
risk involved in the exploration activities. Detection of offshore oil seepages by radar
satellites offers a cost effective means of locating such offshore oil reserves. Seeps are
surface expressions of migration pathways of hydrocarbons where oil and gas seeping out
of faults opening in the sea bed are transported to the sea surface due to their buoyancy in
the form of thin oil films covering bubbles of gas. At the sea surface, these gas bubbles
burst with the oil films forming oil layers on ocean surface.

Principle of Detection
In normal conditions, capillary waves on the sea surface reflect the radar energy to
produce a bright image. However, if oil is present in the sea surface, it dampens the wave
signature and is detected as a dark area on a bright surface. The amount of the
backscattered radiation in the oil covered region detected by the SAR sensors is less than
the surrounding sea as the oil decreases the aerodynamic roughness of the ocean and
consequently decreases the radar backscatter (Bartsch.N et.al. 1987).
An attempt had been made to identify such hydrocarbon seepages in Mahanadi offshore
area from ENVISAT ASAR and ERS data and correlate them with free air gravity, and
available seismic data so that they can be tied up with sub surface features, instrumental
in generating or contributing oil for the detected seepages.

Study Area
The study area (Fig 1) is confined to Mahanadi Offshore area covering roughly 140,000
sq km up to 2500 m isobaths in offshore region with sediments ranging in age from oldest
Permo-Triassic Gondwana sediments to Recent sediments. The basin has a polycyclic
history with oldest Permo-Triassic Gondwana sediments deposited in the continental
grabens with the subsequent stage in Late Jurassic constituting of development of horst
graben features along pre-existing weak zones followed by development of a delta system
and a subsequent main transgression and ending with the flow of Rajmahal lavas (Bastia
R. 2006). Mahanadi shelf received continental-deltaic sediments in Late Cretaceous-
Paleocene times and carbonate sedimentation in Eocene. Oligocene is the period of non-
deposition/erosion in the basin with the Miocene witnessing regional subsidence and
marine transgression both in offshore and onshore, with very high subsidence rate in
Middle Miocene and younger periods. At that time, the basin experienced tilting, with
west experiencing uplift and east undergoing subsidence. This led to renewed influx of
clastics and progradation of deltaic sediments over tectonically altered Miocene section
this continues till the present day. Hydrocarbons of possible biogenic origin have so far
been encountered in the Plio-Pleistocene channels within sand reservoirs. In the shelf of
Mahanadi Basin, no thermogenic hydrocarbon has been encountered. Thermal maturity
 The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,
12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

modeling suggests the threshold of maturity in the south southeastern part in the passive
margin setup, especially the Eocene-Oligocene successions (Bhowmick PK, 2009).

Fig 1) Area of study in

Mahanadi Offshore for
detection of natural
hydrocarbon seepages

Seepage Studies
Seepages identified from SAR data were analysed to eliminate similar signatures
generated due to ship or tanker generated pollution slicks or biogenic algal signatures
based on the following parameters:
 Wind Speed
 Scale, Shape, Size and Aspect Ratio
 Repeat Cycle
Based on these parameters the identified seepages are classified as per degree of
confidence into High, Medium and Low categories. A total of 24 such seepages had been
identified in Mahanadi Offshore Basin and classified as per the above parameters (Table
1).
Seepage Length Width Shape Wind Repeat Degree of
No. (kms) (kms) speed Confidence
0.5-10 0.1-5 (m/sec)
1 1.35 1.03 Oblong >2 No Low
2 1.35 0.17 Elongated 3 No Low
3 0.74 0.15 Elongated >2 No Low
4 1.58 0.12 Elongated 3 No Low
5 1.00 0.21 Elongated 3 No Low
6 2.38 0.39 Elongated 2-3 Yes Medium
7 0.71 0.25 Elongated 2-3 Yes Medium
8 0.74 0.25 Elongated 2-3 Yes Medium
9 4.20 0.50 Elongated 2-3 Yes Medium
Table 1: Example of Classification of identified hydrocarbon seepages based on their degree
of confidence

Though 4 seepages of Medium Degree of confidence had been observed no seepage of

High degree of confidence had been observed in the study area (Fig 2)
 The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,
12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

Fig2) Hydrocarbon seepages identified in Mahanadi Offshore. The highlighted seepage

indicative of Medium degree seepage

Correlation with Collateral Subsurface Data

Free Air Gravity
The identified seepages were overlain on the Free Air Gravity map of the Mahanadi
Offshore region (Tiwari S et.al. 2003). From the Free Air Gravity data prominent of NE-
SW high trend is observed that changes to an E-W direction whereas a prominent N-S
cross-trend is observed further northward. The only seepages of medium degree of
confidence are found to occur at the intersection of the two trends (Fig 3).

Fig3) Free Air Gravity map of study

area showing NE-SW and N-S trends
Seepage of Medium degree of
confidence occur rat the intersection
of the two trends

Existing Interpreted Seismic Data

Though the available structure contour maps prepared at Cretaceous, Paleocene, Eocene,
Oligocene & Mid Miocene levels (Gupte SS et al ,2006; Mukhopadhyay C et al ,2009
 The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,
12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

Ramana D V et al, 2004) shows no presence of faults, seepages are found to occur on the
same trends of regional faults affecting Cretaceous and Eocene levels in KG Offshore
Area extrapolated in Mahanadi Offshore area (Fig 4). Hence, it might be probable that
these Cretaceous faults might be continuous in the Mahanadi area that also might cause
the seepages.

Fig4) Seepages in Mahanadi Offshore

occurring in the same trend of the
faults mapped in KG offshore

Geochemical data
The available Surface Geochemical adsorbed gas data indicate that the adsorbed gases
are of thermogenic origin and petroliferous in nature and have seeped most likely from
condensate / wet gas pools.

Conclusions & Discussions

A total number of 26 seepages had been identified in the study are varying in confidence
levels from medium, to low. Most of these seepages are found to be distributed along a
NE-SW gravity trend in the shallow water area which also parallels the coast line in
these parts occurring along channel axes. Also overlain with bathymetry data most of
these seepages are found to occur on a very abrupt change in bathymetry which
probably delineates the shelf break in the area. Both the change in gravity as well as
bathymetry (Fig. 5 a & b) is found to be more or less correlated, and is also found to be
coincident with the tectonically interpreted Coastal Monocline. This might imply the
shelf break as well as the gravity trend is probably manifestations of the Coastal
Monocline.
From this it can be probably suggested that the faults that resulted in the development of
the monocline might be opening up to the surface and are instrumental in the occurrence
of the seepages in this area.
 The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,
12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

Fig. 5a: Correlation of identified seepages

with Bathymetry

Fig. 5b: Correlation of identified seepages with

Free Air Gravity
Also in the deep water areas the seepages are found to occur along an E-W gravity trend
with a cluster of them occurring along a junction of the EW trend with a NS gravity high
trend. This NS gravity high trend is probably due to 900 East Ridge. The only instance
of seepage repetition in the study area is also found to occur in this trend intersection
zones suggesting that it might be an area of intersection of deep seated faults that
probably acted as conduits for hydrocarbon seepage.
Since seepage originating from condensate/lighter HC are always less persistent than
heavier oil slicks and takes more time to form oil film on the sea surface. The signature
of seepage on SAR image will be captured only if the time of satellite over pass
coincides with that of oil film formation, otherwise remains unnoticed. Hence, the lack
of repeativity of the surface seepages in multi-date satellite data might be attributed to
the lighter nature of the hydrocarbons in the basin. This might be the reason for a lower
degree of confidence during the classification of the seepages.
 The 2nd South Asain Geoscience Conference and Exhibition,GEOIndia2011,
12-14th Jan,2011,Gearter Noida,New Delhi,India

The opinion expressed by the authors is not necessarily the opinion of the organization,
which they represent

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